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Tourism Works: Highlights from a Busy Tourism Week

Alberta’s tourism industry rallied together last week, joining Tourism Week in Canada’s celebration of the country’s dynamic travel and tourism industry. In Alberta, tourism is a strong $8.3 billion industry supporting over 19,000 businesses and over 127,000 jobs throughout the province.

Overall tourism spending in Alberta increased to $8.3 billion in 2014, up 5% from the year before. Total visits also grew to 34.7 million.

Almost 900,000 overseas visitors travelled to Alberta in 2014, a 17% jump from the previous year, spending more than $1 billion in the province. Six of Travel Alberta’s seven main overseas target markets registered increases in visitation and expenditures. This included the United States, which saw more than 770,000 travellers, who spent more than $731 million in Alberta.

“For every job you see in tourism, there are hundreds you don’t”

As part of tourism week, Travel Alberta released a new Tourism Works video. An industry of industries, tourism supports a wider variety of jobs and sectors of Alberta’s economy than many realize. The video received more than 750 views in the first week.

The importance of Alberta’s visitor economy can’t be undersold. Its full impact is felt when the multiplier effect of tourist spending ripples throughout our whole economy, supporting jobs, infrastructure development and community building.